Good post, and an excellent reminder. I admire the guy's honesty, if not his gunhandling. He violated Rules 1, 2 and 3. He's lucky he didn't sever the femoral artery, or he might have bled out before he could get help.

Note the shots of the bloody room, and this is just a relatively minor leg wound, never mind multiple hits in the thoracic cavity. Keep this in mind if you think shooting a guy in your living room will be nice and clean like on TV.

No kidding!! That's a mess. One lucky dude! The thing is, with a .45 impact and expanding defensive rounds.. He's also super dang lucky he didn't hit a femur or other bone or knee.. Or waking up stairing at a stump.

Repeating for all to copy:

I: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED.. Period!

II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY.. Ever!

III:KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET.. Always!

IV:BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET AND WHAT'S BEHIND IT.

... I think my subconscious safety mechanism was ingrained to make me always consider the business end of a gun as if it could on it's own by it's own will discharge and make a big hole at any given time.

When I was a kid, one of my Dad's gun-friends was waving around a new rifle while they were looking at the marvelous actions and stock (it was a gorgeous hand-built rifle) and talking guns.. In their zeal, they weren't watching that muzzle which I was... I saw it crossing my path more than once. I got tired of it and said something and got up and left.. I calculated their embarrassment was worth far less than my life.

Knowing these two were gun "officianado's" and pretty knowledgeable, it proved to me that even an expert can forget that the thing is designed and very capable of blowing your freakin' head off if it takes a notion to..

I probably wouldn't make a good gunsmith with assembled pistols (or maybe I would) because I'd be more concerned where the muzzle is pointed and where the trigger was than the silly part I was looking at. Funny thing is, it was my Dad (same guy from above) that purposely taught me these things.

I respect his honesty and candor. He didn't try to use the old "it just went off" excuse we hear so many times from those who lack the concept of personal responsibility. I sincerely hope he makes a full recovery. He seems to be the kind of guy you would want to go shooting with because he won't soon forget the results of carelessness.

We could use more people with that kind of courage and honesty (with fewer bullet holes, of course).

I learned two valuable lessons.
"What doesn't kill you makes you smarter"
"Life sucks until you accidently shoot yourself in the leg. Then you realize life hadn't sucked as much as you thought it had."
Here's a lesson you should all learn from this. Don't be stupid like me. It HURTS!

Wow

That is insane. I have had a brain moment similar to this in the past.....Up late (4:00) and remembered hearing that if the trigger was pulled on a P22 with the safety on that it would eventually kick the safety off. Forgot to take the mag out and cycled the slide to cock the hammer and put it on safety. Like an idiot I started pulling the trigger to see if what I had heard was true...sure enough.....POP...missed my knee by half an inch, into the couch where it hit a spring....split in two and exited the back striking a bookshelf and the front door. After seeing these pictures I'm glad I didn't hit my knee, and reminded once again to unload the weapon before doing any safety checks.

surprised

i was also surprised at the small size of the exit wounds. i wasn't surprised by the amount of blood in the room however. you've got to think thats four large holes in a person's legs bleeding there. but it is funny how hollywood portrays shootings where they just fall down but the room is still clean enough to set up an operating table in and perform surgery.

That is insane. I have had a brain moment similar to this in the past.....Up late (4:00) and remembered hearing that if the trigger was pulled on a P22 with the safety on that it would eventually kick the safety off. Forgot to take the mag out and cycled the slide to cock the hammer and put it on safety. Like an idiot I started pulling the trigger to see if what I had heard was true...sure enough.....POP...missed my knee by half an inch, into the couch where it hit a spring....split in two and exited the back striking a bookshelf and the front door. After seeing these pictures I'm glad I didn't hit my knee, and reminded once again to unload the weapon before doing any safety checks.

And also do all "safety checks" and other trigger-pressing with the pistol pointed at the one designated impact area in the house. Right now, mine is an old Second Chance vest leaning against an exterior wall that backs up to a cinder block wall. In my previous house it was the brick fireplace.

No matter how many times you unload a gun, sometimes they just aren't nearly as unloaded as you thought. Just assume the gun will go bang, so hang a target on something bullet-proof and inexpensive to repair/repaint -- not the TV, not the refrigerator, not the dog.

P.S. I had my first Negligent discharge last year. I was in the process of moving and decided to catalog my arsenal. While taking pics and listing all the serial numbers. I was very careful with regard to handling the guns. I would take every pistol and lock the slide back remove the mag and then call out the needed info to my wife. i got down to my little Llama especial .22, I completed the clearing ritual as I had on the other 20 or so( I was getting complacent). However to drop the hammer on this pistol I had to insert the mag. I never noticed that the mag was loaded. Luckily I had pointed it in the safest direction at the time, the garage floor. which stopped the bullet from hurting anyone.

Rule II saved you by having that muzzle pointed at something that was ok to destroy.. unfortunately probably not cheap to repair though. Although... I never point anything straight down.. I find something else, a side of a hill or bank or into the woods at low angle etc.

Funny I went over to a friend's house late last week and he was showing me a .45 S&W auto he had... I chewed him out for passing that muzzle across me.. He didn't even realize it. whooops! And it was a verified loaded .45...

Futzing around with a loaded and chambered .45 and not keeping absolute attention to muzzle direction regardless of trying to holster or decock or whatever.. I can't imagine it but I've seen it, from EXPERIENCED gun-owners.. That's what cracks me up.

Muzzle direction is not just where it happens to go.. It must always be absolute conscious decision and under absolute control. Loaded or unloaded... It's where that business-end is pointed that counts whether it fires or not. .... opinion from the newbie here.